Text Size

-

+

reset

Behind the public face of unity, tensions are boiling and both sides are trading not-for-attribution barbs.
AP Photo

DENVER — As Democrats arrived here Sunday for a convention intended to promote party unity, mistrust and resentments continued to boil among top associates of presumptive nominee Barack Obama and his defeated rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

One flashpoint is the assigned speech topic for former president Bill Clinton, who is scheduled to speak Wednesday night, when the convention theme is “Securing America’s Future.” The night’s speakers will argue that Obama would be a more effective commander in chief than his Republican rival, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.).

The former president is disappointed, associates said, because he is eager to speak about the economy and more broadly about Democratic ideas — emphasizing the contrast between the Bush years and his own record in the 1990s.

This is an especially sore point for Bill Clinton, people close to him say, because among many grievances he has about the campaign Obama waged against his wife is a belief that the candidate poor-mouthed the political and policy successes of his two terms.

Some senior Democrats close to Obama, meanwhile, made clear in not-for-attribution comments that they were equally irked at the Clinton operation. Nearly three months after Hillary Clinton conceded defeat in the nomination contest, these Obama partisans complained, her team continues to act like she and Bill Clinton hold leverage.

After a period earlier this month when the two sides were working collegially over strategy, scheduling, and other convention logistics, things turned scratchy again in recent days.

Some senior Obama supporters are irritated at how they perceive the Clintons fanned — or at a minimum failed to douse — stories that she was not even vetted as a possible vice presidential nominee. This is because she told Obama she preferred not to go through the rigorous process of document production unless she was really a serious contender, an Obama associate noted.

One senior Obama supporter said the Clinton associates negotiating on her behalf act like “Japanese soldiers in the South Pacific still fighting after the war is over.”

A prominent Obama backer said some of Clinton’s lieutentants negotiating with the Obama team are “bitter enders” who presume that, rather than the Clintons reconciling themselves to Obama’s victory, it is up to Obama to accommodate them.

In fact, some senior veterans of Clinton’s presidential campaign do believe this.

“He has not fully reconciled,” said one political operative close to the Clintons, “and he has not demonstrated that he accepts the Clintons and the Clinton wing of the party.”

While the Clintons have a relatively easy job in Denver — to deliver gracious speeches and accept what are likely to be loud cheers from their supporters — it is “Obama who has the heavy lifting” this week, this aide said.

This is because large numbers of Clinton backers — 30 percent in a recent ABC/Washington Post poll — are still not backing Obama over McCain.

The peevishness on both sides and the volume of behind-the-scenes catcalls are noteworthy because both the Clinton and Obama teams had resolved in pre-convention talks that it was overwhelmingly in the interests of both sides to get along.

Both Obama and Clinton associates have said for weeks that one of the challenges of Denver would be to control the news media narrative, in a city full of reporters and political sources, at an emotional moment for both the Obama and Clinton teams.

See Also

Several hours after this story was first published, Obama strategist David Axelrod and Clinton senior adviser Maggie Williams, issued a joint statement. It did not address the reportedly bruised feelings over Bill Clinton's speaking assignment, but said:

"We understand that some in the news media are more interested in reporting the rumor of controversy than the fact of unity. The fact is that our teams are working closely to ensure a successful convention and will continue to do so. Senator and President Clinton fully support the Obama/Biden ticket and look forward to addressing the convention and the nation on the urgency of victory this Fall. Anyone saying anything else doesn't know what they're talking about. Period."

Readers' Comments (3128)

"I think a lot of people assume that might be some kind of military thing to make me look more commander-in-chief-like. Ironically, this is an area -- foreign policy is the area where I am probably most confident that I know more and understand the world better than Senator Clinton or Senator McCain." The Big "0"

My friends, this is a GOP disinformation campaign intended to portray discord among the Democrats. Hillary is releasing her delegates to Obama. There are 20, count 'em 20, PUMAs gathered at the Convention. Harris and Allen from the Post? Tricky dicksters all the way.

While Bill Clinton remains angry about how he and his wife were treated by both Obama backers and the news media — and he is particularly resentful at what he sees as unfair allegations that he tried to exploit racial divisions for political advantage — he has made the decision that he will put forward a positive face for Obama’s benefit at Denver.

It is harder to do that when the topic is foreign policy and national security, which lends itself to restrained, rather than boisterous, partisan rhetoric.

“That puts him in a terrible bind, because you can’t give a ringing endorsement when you’re talking about foreign policy,” a longtime Clinton adviser said. “Obviously, the hard thing to talk about with Obama is commander in chief, of all his many talents.

I thought that this is what Biden was supposed to do for the ticket, build up the foreign policy side. Using the most successful economy president since FDR to talk about foreign policy, where Clinton was not as his strongest is a misuse of talent. Bill should firing up the whole convention not struggle to define a canidate that is unsteady in his foreign policy direction.

TeamPolitico: Aug. 24, 2008 - 10:28 PM EST

large numbers of Clinton backers — 30 percent in a recent ABC/Washington Post poll — are still not backing Obama over McCain.

If Hilary really did have 18 million backers, 5.4 million not on board is a bigger issue than trying to swing Repub strongholds, Obama needs to shore up this base ASAP.

TeamPolitico: Aug. 24, 2008 - 10:28 PM EST

One senior Obama supporter said the Clinton associates negotiating on her behalf act like “Japanese soldiers in the South Pacific still fighting after the war is over.”

I really did not believe other conservatives when they mentioned that the Clintons would do harm to the convention, but they sure do not want to go quietly. Obama is not going to win this election, McCain is going to have to lose it.

If anything this shows where we are as a country. What should be a slam dunk after a unpopular president is turning into a taffy pull. The winner is not going to be who inspires voters, it is going to be the one that makes the fewest mistakes in the opinion of political 'experts.'

I agree with the Hillary supporters. I have voted Republican since Gary Hart didn't get the nomination. Its because of my fierce loyalty to Gary Hart that I will never vote for a Democrat again. I became so happy when George HW Bush became president in 1988 just to show those Democrats that because Hart didn't get the nomination, they wouldn't get my vote then or forever. When 2000 came around, even though I believe in global warming, a woman's right to choose, science, mathematics, education, alternative fuels, the separation of church and state, a responsible justice department and Supreme Court justices, I had to vote for George W. Bush because of what happened to my champion Gary Hart. In 2004, when the Iraq war turned out to be as predicted, a sham and perhaps a $3,000,000,000,000 quagmire for our country, the attack on science in our classrooms, the Patriot Act tearing apart our constitution, I couldn't vote for John Kerry because I made an allegiance to vote against myself interests because of Gary Hart. Now, in 2008, when perhaps the very soul of our country is at stake, I will once again vote for Senator McCain and take great rejoice in it because of my fierce allegiance to Gary Hart. Hillary supporters can finally feel my pain from what happened to my candidate back in '88. Why don't the Hillary supporters, all 18,000,000 of them mail her a check for $1.22 so she can pay off her debt, $11,000,000 of which is from her own bank accounts. You Hillary supporters are the biggest bunch of stone cold losers imaginable.

Well, after months of Obama, Moveon.org, Code Pink, internet blogs, and the news media telling us that Hillary is was not fit for Commander in Chief mainly because of her vote for the war on Iraq -- and then to go ahead and bring in Biden as VP who voted exactly the same way with the same justfications --it's no wonder why Hillary and her supporters are miffed.

And, for the Obama hit squad to shoot down Bill Clinton as a racist and then invite him to the party must be exceptionally galling to Bill I bet he feels he's being sent up there so show the "old guard" of the party is now just a puppet to the new Obamacratic party of the left.

We now know what CHANGE really means. It's not a change between "democrats" or "republicans'. It's a change from the "Clintons" and the "Obamas". Or, in other words, the moderate Democrats to the liberal east and west coast Democrats.

What Liberal Democrats? You know. The same ones who tossed out Joe Lieberman because he supported the Iraq war and refused to cave into political pressure ONLY to have him BEAT the Democratic party's hand picked choice as his replacement.

The lesson that is still not learned here.... moderates win, liberals lose. I guess the Obama camp hasn't pickup up that trend yet in it's polling.

HE LIED ABOUT PASSING A 'NUCLEAR LEAK' BILL THAT NEVER PASSED THE SENATE.

HE TALKS OF ETHICAL REFORM AND YET HE TAKES $240,000+ DONATION FROM NUCLEAR COMPANY AND CHANGED WORDINGS FROM "MANDATORY REPORTING OF NUCLEAR LEAKS" TO "VOLUNTARY REPORTING". IS THIS MAN A LIAR OR A HYPOCRITE? HE ATTACKED OTHERS AS BEING IN THE POCKET OF BIG BUSINESS. WHAT ABOUT HIM?

this is one big foney lie going on this week in Denver. let rip hilly, let her rip obama, don't hold nothing back billy. enter biden pick up the pieces and put humpty dumpty back together again. thank god obama is unelectable. thank reid and peloski for the high food prices and high gasoline in NOV VOTE NO democrat.

BILL SHOULD THROW AWAY THE SCRIPT AND SAY WHAT HE WANTS! NOW, LET'S CLARIFY...

WHAT "HILLARY TO RELEASE HER DELEGATES" REALLY MEANS:

Reports that Hillary will "release" her delegates on Wednesday are being misread by Obama supporters.

She will release her delegates after the roll call. If Hillary wins, as is quite possible, she will release with a recommendation that her delegates support the nomination of Al Gore for president.

She will say something like this:

"The delegates have spoken. It is obvious that they want a candidate other than Barack Obama at the top of the ticket, and I am humbled and grateful that they voted for me. But if I accept the nomination, I realize it will further divide the party. And I will not be a party to that.

"So I am releasing my delegates to vote as they wish... but it is my wish that my supporters vote to nominate a unity candidate whose nomination will be welcomed by all Democrats. And that candidate is -- Al Gore."

Gore would then name Barack Obama as his VP pick, the entire convention will break out in a chorus of "kumbayah." President Gore will later name Hillary Clinton to the Supreme Court, after her triumphant return to the Senate as majority leader.

The instigation continues. While there probably is genuine feelings leftover from the primaries, it is clear to me that the folks who write these stories are embellishing.

Hillary Clinton, bless her heart, has her deadender supporters, her husband, and the media, all preying on her loss or pining for their own redemption. She deserves better than she is getting from her so-called supporters and her husband. Tragic.

"You Hillary supporters are the biggest bunch of stone cold losers imaginable. " You have No idea how happy it makes me for you to say that. It means you're stressed. Your blood pressure is going through the roof. You're having trouble sleeping. All because you can't control me. Obama can't control me. In other words, you (and your master) are impotent. You just don't want to admit it.

More Right-wing garbage from Politico...seems they'd rather promote a Democratic split then analyze John McCain's affairs and lack of any real policy. After today I will no longer be a Politico reader it's obvious whose side they're on and it's Fox er I mean Faux Media.

More Right-wing garbage from Politico...seems they'd rather promote a Democratic split then analyze John McCain's affairs and lack of any real policy. After today I will no longer be a Politico reader it's obvious whose side they're on and it's Fox er I mean Faux Media.

More Right-wing garbage from Politico...seems they'd rather promote a Democratic split then analyze John McCain's affairs and lack of any real policy. After today I will no longer be a Politico reader it's obvious whose side they're on and it's Fox er I mean Faux Media.